What I've Been Longing For
by The Endless Rain
Summary: Deidara gets Sasori to live a little, and Sasori's entire life changes as a result, when he meets a certain blue haired girl, who somehow changes him entirely. Sasori x OC primarily, Deidara x OC occasionally
1. First Chance

Rico: Hey guys, my first fanfic in a long time. Forgive me if there are any mistakes! I got the idea for this fic earlier today while I was in my Anatomy class xD

Sasori: There better not be any mistakes in a fic with me in it!

Rico: Whatttevverrrrr

Deidara: I'm excited to read about this, yeah? It sounds promising!

Rico: What the hell Deidara? How can you read about it if you're in the story? Ah forget it just do the disclaimer!

Sasori and Deidara: Rico does not own Naruto. He does however own Ayumi and Kasumi!

Rico: Enjoy! Oh by the way, I was gonna just make this a one shot, but I decided there can be more to Sasori and Kasumi. Okay, now enjoy it forreal :DD

Chapter 1: First Chance!

Sasori awoke drowsily with the sunlight in his eyes. He had a throbbing pain in his head and he slowly tried to sit up. He then noticed the condition of the room and looked around with wide eyes. Glitter seemed to cover the entire room, empty cups and streams littered the floor, his multiple paintings either hung crooked on the wall or had fallen to the floor and Deidara was asleep on the floor with his brunette girlfriend, Ayumi. Not to mention they were both naked. Sasori tore his eyes away from the sight of his naked friend, before he got a mental scar.

It was then that Sasori noticed his own lack of clothing, and the naked, light blue haired girl sleeping next to him and with him under the covers. Sasori was bewildered. He had never ever even really talked to a girl before in his life, in that way anyway. 'What the hell happened last night?" he thought. Sasori was almost scared to go see the rest of the mansion, seeing his room in the condition it is. Since Pain was Amegakure's leader, he had his own mansion where he occasionally threw parties with the villagers. Sasori had never been to one until last night, he was never fond of parties. It was Deidara that convinced him to go, and Sasori was sure he would end up regretting it. For now though, he felt pretty good.

Sasori went out of his room, after grabbing a pair of pants, and looked over the mansion from the rail. Sasori spotted Hidan and Kisame asleep on the floor along with several other people he didn't quite recognize, and someone asleep under the couch which was tipped over. Sasori instantly thought of Tobi. There was a huge gaping hole in the wall, seemingly from an explosion. "Deidara..." Sasori thought out loud and shook his head. Some idiot either insulted his art or he was trying to show off to some girl. There was also the possibility he was drunk. Sasori then noticed outside, there were actually pink flamingos swimming in the pool. Sasori took a moment to stare, because how do pink flamingos get to a party?

"Sasori my man!" Sasori's thoughts were interrupted by Deidara's voice behind him. Sasori turned to see the blonde, who fortunately put some pants on himself. "That was one hell of a party last night, hm?"

"I wish I could say, but I can barely remember it!" Sasori stated.

"I hope you can at least remember how Kasumi was in bed last night, hm! I will never forget the night Ayumi and I had!" Deidara teased.

Sasori smirked. "Nah I don't remember much."

"Oh come on man! Think about it! You must remember something, yeah?"

Sasori thought hard. Soon, it all started coming back to him.

**Friday, The Day Before, 8:00 pm **

Sasori sighed, while he supported his head with his palm. He was bored out of his mind, watching other people dance and drink. Deidara had forced him to come, since usually Sasori simply stayed in his room during these huge mansion parties Pain threw. Sasori didn't want to drink, and he didn't want to dance either. He barely felt like talking. He was really just listening to the music playing. Currently, "#Stupidfacedd" by Wallpaper was playing. The bass on that song was insane.

Since he had been revived by way of one of Orochimaru's forbidden jutsu that was found by checking his now empty hideouts, all he wanted to do was train and work on his puppets in order to improve on his new body. Truly he was still adjusting to being human again. Instead, he was here wasting time at a stupid party. Sasori had been sitting since the start of the party, and before long Deidara noticed.

"Sasori my man, what's up? Why are you just sitting here, hmmm?" Deidara asked. Sasori looked up and saw Deidara, with one arm wrapped around his girlfriend, Ayumi, who waved shyly.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sasori asked, in a very bored voice.

"Find a girl and dance with her or something! Live a little man, yeah?"

"I've not seen a single girl that interests me..."

Deidara looked around. Then he noticed on the other side of her room, a girl talking to a few friends, who kept glancing over at Sasori and smiling. Deidara smiled.

"How bout that girl over there, hmmm?" he asked, motioning with his eyes. Sasori turned to look at the girl, not expecting to see much. Instead, he got a view of one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She had medium length, light blue hair, and from what he could tell she had teal eyes. Sasori was amazed at her, and more amazed he had not noticed her sooner! When she noticed him looking at her, she immediately looked away and slightly blushed.

"Go and talk to her man, yeah!" Deidara said.

Sasori looked up at him. "Talk to her? What I say, I've never even talked to a girl before!" he exclaimed.

"Don't be afraid, Sasori. Just go and ask her to dance!" Ayumi said. Sasori sighed.

"Fine..." he said, rolling his eyes. Sasori got up from his seat and went over to the girl that had been watching him. Her back was still turned from him since she hadn't tried to look back at him since he noticed her. Sasori tapped her on the shoulder and she turned, with surprised wide eyes. Sasori looked into her teal eyes and instantly fell in love with them. He quickly snapped back to reality, remembering he was supposed to be talking, even though he truly had no idea what to say.

"Hey... I'm Sasori, I noticed you from across the room," Sasori said, kind of feeling like an idiot. He tried to ignore the snickers from her friends.

"Hey Sasori, I'm Kasumi. Really, I noticed you too. You're really cute..." Kasumi said, breaking their eye-contact.

Sasori noticed a bit of heat in his cheeks, and wondered what it was. He had never felt anything like that. "Thanks... I was wondering if you maybe wanted to dance," Sasori asked. He was trying not to lose his nerve, and since he had come this far there was no turning back now. Kasumi stopped and thought for a minute. Most guys that she met at parties had turned out to be total jerks in the end. Could this guy be different? Kasumi decided to follow her heart one last time before making any conclusions on that.

"Yes! Yes I would absolutely love to dance." Kasumi said, smiling at him.

She excused herself from her friends, and Sasori led her to the dancing crowd outside around the pool. Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" was playing, and everyone was jamming out. At first Sasori, was a bit lost and reluctant to start, but Kasumi led him through the crowd and they both began dancing together. Sasori was really embarrassed, because he had never really danced and so it was awkward for him. Kasumi giggled at him.

"Don't think about it, just do it!" she advised him. It took a moment but Sasori really got into it with Kasumi. Deidara and Ayumi watched from afar.

"Sasori is really having a good time, I'm really glad I convinced him to come, yeah?. It's one of the few times I've actually seen him smile! Plus they are really into each other, hmm!" Deidara said, smiling at his accomplishment.

"Yeah I know! That's really great! But why don't we go join them?" Ayumi said, smiling at Deidara.

Deidara eagerly nodded, and Ayumi led him outside to the dancing crowd, and began dancing not far from Sasori and Kasumi. They all danced for a few more songs, including "Party Rock Anthem", "Dynamite", and "DJ's Got Us Falling In Love Again". After that, Sasori and Kasumi were a bit tired, so they all sat and got a few drinks to take a small break.

Deidara took it upon himself to get drinks, and he tried to hurry knowing that Sasori was very impatient. Meanwhile, Sasori and Kasumi were chatting a bit, getting to know each other better.

"Art is my passion, I put my heart into working on puppets. They are my works of art, that will last long into the future! Such is art." Sasori was stating.

"Well yeah, art is something left behind to be seen long into the future. I have a fascination with art myself, even though I've never seen puppets out here in the Rain Village. I've only heard of them being used by Sand Ninja." Kasumi replied.

"Finally! Another art fanatic without some idiot opinion like Deidara. He thinks art is an explosion, literally and figuratively," Sasori said, rolling his eyes remembering the younger man's views on art.

"Oh wow... that's pretty stupid. What kind of art is that? Sounds like you have an idiot best friend."

Sasori laughed. "Yeah, I do. He's a brat."

Sasori didn't even notice that Deidara was away for awhile, he was very into the conversation. Sasori began to notice, he did kind of like this girl. Deidara noticed the two chatting and decided to wait a minute before he returned to them.

Deidara got himself and Ayumi 2 Tequila's, while he brought Sasori and Kasumi 2 Margarita's. Sasori had never drunk before, so he didn't know that he was supposed to sip. Kasumi carefully sipped her drink, while Sasori gulped all his down in one go.

"Whoa, Sasori my man slow down!" Deidara warned. Sasori looked at Deidara confused. He was only drinking. So he thought anyway.

"Yeah Sasori, slow down a bit before you get totally wasted!" Kasumi said.

Sasori went and got himself another, and slowly sipped on it as he was told. Midway through his 2nd go, he felt a buzz. He then felt as though the world around him was a bit fuzzy, and he was numb.

"Sasori, are you okay?" Kasumi asked, concerned.

"Oh crap, I think he's out of it." Deidara said.

"Oh no... This can't be good." Ayumi said.

Sasori looked around, and began laughing. "Oh wow... that guy has poked out!" he exclaimed. Sasori laughed for a few minutes more, before he fell back on the floor.

"Whoa... the room just changed! Where did the people go? Come back people..." Sasori said, totally out of it while the others could only stare.

Kasumi and Deidara hopped up and tried to help Sasori get to his feet, but the puppeteer kept stumbling over himself as he tried to stand and his knees gave out. They managed to get him over to a couch, and gently eased him down onto it. Kasumi was worried about the state of Sasori, who was still laughing at everything he spotted. She grabbed her drink and drank a bit faster than she did before, not really thinking about it.

It wasn't long before she too became loopy herself. She joined Sasori on the couch and they laughed together at the most random things and sputtered absolute nonsense.

"Oh wow, Deidara, what do we do? Now both of them are drunk!" Ayumi said. Just then she looked over to see Deidara, snickering himself. 'Oh come on, him too?' she thought and face palmed. 'This can't get any worse!' She then looked back to see Sasori and Kasumi had passed out for the minute.

Just then, a drunken Tobi came running up, and tapped Ayumi on her butt. Ayumi gasped and turned immediately but Tobi had run back to Kisame and Hidan, who were laughing.

"Tobi did it! Is Tobi a good boy?" Tobi asked excitedly.

"Yeah, Tobi's a great boy! Cause that was priceless! Did you see her face?" Kisame said, laughing still.

"Hell yeah, we got that bitch good!" Hidan yelled, laughing as well.

Ayumi was about to go and kill someone, but just then Deidara, got up, and stumbled a bit but he didn't fall. "So you're touching my lady, hmmm?" he said, angrily.

Hidan and Kisame's eyes widened, and they both instantly ran off into the crowd, leaving Tobi behind.

"Kisame? Hidan?" Tobi asked, confused. He then turned to see a fuming, albeit drunk Deidara, with a clay bird in his hand. Tobi's eye widened and he immediately ran but he was backed into a wall. "Danger, DANGER! DANGER!" he cried, scared out of his mind.

"Take this, you fricken idiot!" Deidara yelled, throwing his bird which exploded in Tobi's face, bursting him through the wall. Tobi groaned.

"Tobi was not a good boy..." he muttered. Deidara then smirked, content with the damage he had done to Tobi. Then he dragged Ayumi by the arm through the crowd up to somewhere they could be alone, having completely forgotten about Sasori and Kasumi through the confusion.

Hearing the explosion, Sasori sat up. "Sounded like... something loud!" he said, still not completely sober. Kasumi awoke then, and looking at him.

Kasumi jumped up, almost falling and pulled Sasori up, and led him back to the dancing circle. This time, "OMG" by Usher was playing, and they were dancing on each other. Sasori was truly enjoying himself, although at this point he wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, or if this was really happening. In his heart, he really wanted to continue to see Kasumi in the future. Was this the emotion known to most people as love? Sasori really didn't find any answer to that, so he just continued to enjoy himself.

Their dancing went on for awhile, and when they got tired of it, Sasori and Kasumi went upstairs to play some Guitar Hero. Kasumi ended up beating Sasori each time, and much to his surprise. When he did actually play, Deidara and the others always lost to him. It surprised him that Kasumi was so good at it. When Sasori got tired of losing, he felt like going swimming with Kasumi.

"Hey Kasumi, do you want to go swimming?" Sasori asked.

"Sure! But I didn't bring my swim suit this time!" Kasumi said, frowning a bit.

"Well, let's go get one of Konan's! She won't care, we just can't wake her."

Kasumi nodded. Sasori led Kasumi down the hallway to Pain's and Konan's room. They crept the door open silently, and immediately noticed the snoring of Pain. Sasori stepped carefully, over to Konan's dresser, and opened one of the drawers slowly. Despite the fact, that the room was pitch black, Sasori had trained his eyes to be able to see in darkness.

"I'm gonna get you Dirty Dan..." Konan muttered. Sasori froze, before he realized she was talking in her sleep. He sighed a sigh of relief. Konan would kill him if he woke her up, and Pain would kill him again if he found Sasori going through Konan's swimsuits. Because seriously, how would that look?

"I'm gonna rip your arms off... flapjacks." Konan muttered again. Kasumi couldn't help but giggle quietly. Sounds like someone watches a bit too much SpongeBob. Sasori held a finger over his lip, and Kasumi tried to calm down. Sasori pulled a 2 piece swim suit out, and then they both stealthily left the room.

"Wow, I thought we were screwed for a moment." Sasori said, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"If I had laughed any louder we would have!" Kasumi said, still giggling. Sasori shook his head. The girl just didn't know how close to death she was.

"Well, you can change in my room. Come on," Sasori said, leading her down the hallway to his room. Kasumi noticed the neatness of the room, and the artistic paintings on the wall. Sasori urged her into the bathroom, where she quickly changed into the bikini and grabbed two towels, one for herself and one for Sasori.

Sasori had changed into his swimming trunks outside the bathroom, since it would cause her to wait if he waited for her to come out for himself to change. Sasori admired her curvy body, and how smooth her skin was. 'She must be a California Girl.' he thought, since she instantly reminded him of the Katy Perry song.

Meanwhile, Kasumi was also checking out Sasori at the same time. 'Whoa, forget cute, he is HOT!' she thought, mentally squealing. Kasumi had felt his muscles earlier from dancing but only now had she gotten an actual look at them. His biceps were impressive, and his chest was toned as well as his six-pack. They both sat and stared at each other for a few, before they realized they were supposed to go swimming.

"Ready to go?" Sasori asked. Kasumi nodded and handed him one of the towels. They headed down to the pool, working through the crowds of still dancing people. The pool wasn't as packed as it was earlier. Itachi and Kakuzu were floating in the water on floaters, sipping lemonade it seemed, and there were a few girls and guys in the pool talking.

Sasori led Kasumi into the pool, and they both swam around for a bit. A few times, they ended up in a splash war, which always ended in Sasori dunking Kasumi, much to the irritation of Kakuzu and Itachi, who were constantly getting splashed. They were both relieved when Sasori and Kasumi decided to be alone in the hot tub.

"If I were to get splashed one more time, than we would have had a problem! My money better not be wet..." Kakuzu said, irritably.

"Why would you bring money in a pool?" Itachi asked, coolly.

"Someone might steal it! You can't sit money down; people are just waiting to take my babies!" Kakuzu replied.

Itachi looked at the man in bewilderment, and shook his head. 'If this is what money does to people, than screw that.' he thought.

Meanwhile, Sasori and Kasumi were talking in the hot tub. By now it was past midnight, and almost everyone had left and most of the Akatsuki had either passed out or gone to sleep. Itachi still floated out in the pool, seemingly enjoying the view of the moon and stars.

"You know, I've really been enjoying tonight." Sasori said, actually smiling.

"Yeah, so have I! You've been really good to me Sasori. Most other hot guys like you have been total jerks to me..." Kasumi said, slightly frowning.

"Well I'm not like that, you can compare few guys to me."

"I've learned that by now. I love that about you! I think I really like y-," Kasumi stopped mid-sentence, hoping Sasori hadn't heard that part. But he had been listening to her intently.

"What were you about to say?" he asked, curiously. He already knew what she was saying, he just wanted her to come out and say it.

"Nothing I..." Kasumi started, trying to think of an excuse. She didn't exactly want to spill her guts after being hurt so many times, but she had nothing, so she decided to just say. "I really learned you tonight, and I like you, alot! I was a bit reluctant at first, but tonight you showed me that not every hot guy is a total jerk,". She blushed and looked away. But Sasori turned her back towards him.

"Well, you know, tonight you helped me learn what it means to like another person as well." he said, smiling at her. Kasumi smiled. They looked into each other's eyes for several moments, and then she climbed onto his lap. They looked into each other's eyes for several more moments, before their faces began slowly moving closer, and they met in a kiss.

Kasumi's arms slinked around his neck, and his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist. It was a first kiss neither of them could have imagined better. When they drew back, they both blushed. Sasori had never been this close to a girl, but it seemed like his body was leading the way. Kasumi was the first to speak.

"Sasori... I should get going. I bet my friends are looking for me," Kasumi said. Sasori was disappointed to hear that.

Kasumi got out of his lap, and got out of the hot tub, but Sasori grabbed her arm.

"Wait... stay with me tonight. Please, " Sasori said, almost pleading. Kasumi looked into his eyes, and she could tell he was sincere. She thought for a minute before she smiled and nodded. Sasori smiled, and got out of the hot tub, and picked her up bridal style. He carried her all the way up to his room, and laid her on his bed, closing the door behind him and completely ignoring the fact they were both still wet. He got on top of her, and began looking for the clip of her bikini top.

**Present day**

" Sasori, my man! Are you like zoned out right now, yeah?" Deidara asked loudly, snapping Sasori from his thoughts.

"Yeah sorry, I just remembered all last night." Sasori said, now smiling.

Deidara smiled. "Hell of a night hmmm? You gonna stay with her, yeah?" he asked.

"Yes of course. I do care about her! I've never even felt anything for a girl before her," Sasori said, with no hesitation.

"Good! Well I'm glad something good came of this whole hellish thing, yeah?"

"Yeah, but we better do something about this place before Pain wakes up. He hates messes." Sasori said.

"You know what you're right, hm."

"But hey, Deidara, We need to this all again, next friday night." Sasori said.

Deidara smirked at that. " You aren't lying my man. You are so right, yeah."

Well that's it for this chapter. It's my first fic in a VERY long time. Read and Review Please! I got the inspiration to start this story while I was in my anatomy class, bored out of my mind. Hope you guys enjoy it!


	2. The Next Step

Rico: 2nd chapter, I'm excited to continue this story!

Hidan: I need more appearances in this story man!

Rico: No one cares about you Hidan. You're like the least popular Akatsuki member

Hidan: Well people, all of you who hate Hidan! You're all idiots!

Kakuzu: Shut. The Hell. Up. You talk way too much!

Hidan: Don't start with me Kakuzu! I'll poke a hole in every last one of your hearts!

Sasori: BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP SO WE CAN START YOU FRICKEN IDIOTS! Have you ever considered getting married?

Kakuzu and Hidan: ...

Rico: Finally... Can you do the disclaimer without fighting?

Kakuzu and Hidan: Rico does not own Naruto; he only owns Kasumi and Ayumi.

Rico: Enjoy!

** Chapter 2: The Next Step

Sasori and Deidra proceeded to begin cleaning up what they could, which was the trash and whatever was tipped over throughout Akatsuki Manor. They weren't exactly sure what to do about the now gaping hole in the wall, much less about the random pink flamingos who made a home in their pool, so they decided to take whatever heat they were destined for from Pain. Not like it was anything new anyway. After spending an hour tidying up the mansion as best they could, Sasori and Deidra decided to see if the girls were awake.

They went up to Sasori's room, where Kasumi had gotten her clothes on. Sasori felt his heart, sink, knowing she was getting ready to leave. Ayumi was gone, probably to the bathroom or something since she usually stuck around the mansion with Deidara. Ayumi lived alone, so she never really went home unless she and Deidara were just trying to get away from everyone else.

"Where are you headed so early?" Sasori questioned. Kasumi turned to face him, and smiled.

"Oh, good morning Sasori, and Deidara. I really have to be getting home, my friends have been lighting up my phone all night," she said.

"Oh, I see. I'll walk you out," Sasori offered. Kasumi gladly nodded.

Deidara went ahead to see where Ayumi had went off to, while Sasori and Kasumi walked out. Kasumi got to the front door of the manor, when Sasori stopped her.

"Will I see you again?" Sasori asked, an almost pleading look in his brown eyes. Kasumi placed her hand on his cheek.

"Of course! I'm not sure when, but I'll see you again soon," Kasumi said, smiling up at him. Sasori was about to ask how would he do that, when he felt her slip a piece of paper in his hand. Sasori smiled and nodded at her. "Call me." Kasumi winked at him, getting a blush out of the S Rank Ninja, before she finally walked out of the mansion closing the door behind her.

Sasori quickly recorded Kasumi's number in his Iphone, not wasting any time. Sasori couldn't help but smile thinking of seeing her again.

"Looks like puppet-boy is rather happy today for a change!", Sasori heard Hidan's taunting voice behind him.

Sasori turned to see Hidan, and Kisame smirking at him. "Tell us Sasori. Is it that girl you were with last night?", Kisame asked, still smirking.

"What concern is that of yours?", Sasori said, forcing himself to put on his usual serious expression.

"Well it's not often that we actually see you smile, puppet-boy."

Sasori could think of no way to explain that, so instead he just looked away.

"HA! I knew it! Sounds like someone has gotten Sasori to open up! I didn't think Deidara was actually going to find a way!" Kisame exclaimed. Sasori glared at them.

"Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes. Sasori took the initiative to walk away before he had to hear either of them get another crack in.

"Perhaps, I should make the bitch a sacrifice to Lord Jashin, huh?," Hidan shouted after him, making Sasori stop his tracks.

"If you touch her... I will cut your head off, drag it on the ground, and toss it into the ocean. Let's see your 'Lord Jashin' revive you then." Sasori said, half turning his head. Hidan could see the killer intent in his eyes.

"You don't intimidate me puppet-boy! Just bring it!" Hidan said, allowing his pride to overflow.

"I have no reason to fight with you for no reason. I'm just warning you," Sasori said, turning away. "Oh, and relay this message to 'Lord Jashin' for me." Sasori threw the middle finger up at Hidan while not even turning. Hidan growled and attempted to lunge at Sasori, but Kisame held him back.

"Lord Jashin will punish you, piss-pot! He does not like heathens!" Hidan shouted, irate. Sasori smirked in satisfaction, and walked away. It was always fun to provoke Kakuzu and Hidan, they were the most interesting when angry.

Sasori didn't really have any plans for the day, so he decided to pass the time by first cleaning up his room and then working on some of his puppets. Since the Rain Village pledged allegiance to The Leaf Village, there has really been nothing but peace in the 5 Great Nations and the surrounding areas. Akatsuki rarely got missions, and if they did they were always B rank or below. There was really no need, but Sasori always liked to be prepared.

As he worked, his mind kept drifting to Kasumi. Even though it had not been very long since he had seen her, he missed her. Sasori tried to push her out of his mind and focus, but he simply couldn't. When he finally thought he had her out of his mind, Sasori realized his puppet was arranged entirely wrong. Sasori's face fell flat on his desk, and he sighed in defeat. He stayed like that for a moment, and his mind couldn't help but drift back to her.

"Sasori my man, what's your deal, hmmm?" Sasori heard Deidara's voice from behind him.

"I can't stop thinking about Kasumi, and I can't focus on anything," Sasori said, frustrated, with his head still on the desk. Sasori heard Ayumi giggle.

"Sounds like you're attached already!" she said. Sasori finally sat up, and nodded sincerely.

"You should just see if she wants to do something tonight or tomorrow, yeah? If not, you can at least just talk to her, hmm?" Deidara offered.

Sasori thought both of those sounded like good ideas, and nodded. Sasori took out his Iphone, and dialed Kasumi's number. It rang for a few moments, making Sasori more and more nervous. He was still relatively new to all of this. Just when Sasori was about to give up, he heard Kasumi shuffling the phone on the other end.

"Hello?", she answered.

"Hey Kasumi, it's Sasori," Sasori said, motioning for Deidara and Ayumi to leave. They obediently moved quickly, knowing one way or another they would figure out what happened.

"Oh hey Sasori! What's up?"

"Nothing really. I was just wondering if maybe tomorrow night, you wanted to go out somewhere?" Sasori wasn't sure if he was pushing it, but he really wanted to see her.

"Oh gosh Sasori, I would but I'll be busy at the hospital all week, and next week too. It's all I have to do, since there are not many missions lately." Sasori's heart sank a bit. "But I'll be free next Saturday and Sunday! Besides, over the next 2 weeks you can text me anytime, and at around 7:00 you can call me." Sasori perked up a bit hearing that.

"Alright, you will definitely be hearing from me this week!" Kasumi giggled a bit.

"Okay than, looking forward to it!"

Sasori and Kasumi talked on the phone for several more hours. Time simply passed by them, and before they knew it they had been talking for 4 hours. Eventually, they each had to plug their phones in to keep them from dying. Neither of them wanted the conversation to end. Eventually, Kasumi had to end the conversation to shower and prepare for her shift at the hospital the next day. By the time they had gotten off the phone, it was 8:00 and the sun was setting.

Over the next few days, Sasori and Kasumi texted back and forth during the day, and Sasori would call her in the evening, always resulting in at least a 2 hour conversation. Sasori found himself more and more eager to see her again the more they talked. The other Akatsuki members found it amusing although a bit weird to see one of the most emotionless members become one of the most cheerful. The only time they saw him in his usual irritable mood was when Tobi well... was Tobi. Tobi annoyed almost everyone in Akatsuki though, what else is new? Deidara understood though, because the entire reason Sasori became the emotional man he was because of the love he craved from his parents.

The weeks passed by rather quickly for Sasori, he was always cheerful and smiling. The next Saturday came before he knew it. Kasumi and Sasori had decided on that Saturday, they would go see Yuki Fujikaze's new movie, "The Adventures of Princess Gale: In Stranger Lands". Sasori left to pick Kasumi up at around 7:00 so they could go out to get frozen yogurt to pass the time before their movie started, which was around 9:00. Following the directions Kasumi had texted him, Sasori arrived outside her apartment after a short walk.

Sasori knocked, and Kasumi peeked a single eye out of the door to check who it was. "Who's there?," she asked.

"A guy named Sasori!", Sasori said, smirking. Kasumi giggled a bit. She closed the door to unlock it, and greeted Sasori with a hug. Sasori noted that he loved her perfume. Sasori admired her attired for the evening, which was a black jacket, covering a blue and black striped tank-top, with some slightly tight jeans, and some black ohau boots.

"Come in for a few moments, I'm not ready just yet." Kasumi said. Sasori nodded, and followed her inside. "Make yourself at home, I won't be long!" With that, Kasumi went off into another room to finish her make-up and her hair, closing the door behind her.

Sasori took a seat on her couch, and began looking around Kasumi's apartment. The purple walls were what caught his immediate attention, aligned with several paintings and photos. The floors were a beige carpet, save for the tile of the kitchen floor. The kitchen was on the immediate right after entering the apartment, which had a round wooden table with 4 chairs spread around it. The living room, which was where Sasori was, was covered in a large pink rug, a couch with an end table and matching chairs, with a TV and small bookshelf resting adjacent to it. The shelf was aligned with several books, along with a few framed photos and a few knick-knacks. Sasori noted the framed picture of Kasumi with who he assumed to be her parents.

Still zoned out looking around her apartment, Sasori did not notice Kasumi emerge from her room. Kasumi smiled and shook her head at the zoned shinobi. Sasori was snapped from his thoughts by Kasumi waving her hand in his face.

"Earth to Sasori! I'm ready now," Kasumi said, sticking her tongue out.

"Oh sorry. I kind of zoned..." Sasori said, a bit embarrassed. He wondered how long she had been trying to get him back.

"Yeah I noticed," Kasumi giggled. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

With that, Sasori and Kasumi left, Kasumi grabbing her purse and locking the door behind her. The walk was a bit quiet, but it didn't last long because they arrived at the place, titled 'Iwao's Frozen Yogurt', relatively quickly. It was fortunate that Kasumi's apartment was right down the street from the mall, which housed the theater and the frozen yogurt place. Sasori ordered himself some blueberry tart frozen yogurt, and some raspberry tart for Kasumi.

"I love this place, I'm glad we both agreed on it!" Kasumi said, taking a seat across from Sasori.

"Yeah, Deidara and me come here when we're in the mood to have some frozen yogurt or to clear our minds from the idiots we live with," Sasori said. "Which is alot, trust me."

Kasumi laughed. "I can imagine, they seemed like a bit of a hand-full when I would hear you get rid of them while we're on the phone."

"Oh yeah, you have no idea until you live with them. Hidan is the worst one, but it's usually fun to make him mad. Payback's a bitch, I always say."

"Heh, if I were you I would always play pranks on him. Pranking is something I specialize in."

"Since he can't die, I suppose it counts when we get pissed enough, we cut off his head and hide it somewhere. Last time, Kakuzu got so pissed he went to the yard and just chucked it as far as he could. We didn't find it for a few hours, but we had a little help from Hidan's non-stop yelling." Sasori chuckled.

Kasumi laughed. "Oh wow, that's so mean! Hilarious though, I want to see you guys do that one day!" Sasori laughed a bit.

"Trust me, it's bound to happen one day soon. He's been getting on mine and Deidara's last nerves lately." Sasori took the last bite of his frozen yogurt, and the conversation continued.

Sasori was telling Kasumi about his humorous experiences living at Akatsuki Manor, mostly about how he used to torture Deidara when he first joined. Kasumi was doing more laughing than talking. They always enjoyed their conversations, even if they were random. Before they knew it, it was 8:50, which meant they had to be going.

Sasori paid for their yogurt, and they both walked into the main entrance of the mall and went up to the cinema. Sasori bought their tickets and a large popcorn, and they both headed towards their particular theater. They arrived in good time, since the previews were just starting.

"Think this will be any good?" Sasori asked. He had seen the first movie, which was pretty good. Sequels always seemed to be disappointments though.

"If it's anything like the first, it should prove to be really good. Either way, it'll be better than wasting our time watching the new Harry Potter film," Kasumi replied.

"Can't disagree on that," Sasori said, nodding in agreement.

They quickly got quiet as the movie began. The movie managed to live up to its name, and proved to be more action-packed, romantic and emotional than the first. In the end, when Princess Gale sacrificed herself for her people, Kasumi could not help but cry, and she buried her face in Sasori's chest and hugged him tightly. Sasori could do nothing but hug her back, and run one of his hands through her hair to comfort her.

By the time the movie was over, it was really late. Sasori walked Kasumi to her apartment, and they stopped on her doorstep.

"Thanks for a really good time tonight, Sasori," Kasumi said, smiling at him.

"Anytime, I'd like to do this again sometime," Sasori replied, smiling back at her.

Kasumi's smile widened into a grin, and she was about to speak but something caught her attention. "Oh Sasori! Look!", she exclaimed, pointing to the sky.

Sasori turned to the sky and was amazed by a beautiful meteor shower, passing over the Hidden Rain Village. "Let's get on the roof to get a better view!" Kasumi said, jumping up onto the roof of her apartment. Sasori jumped up next to her, still looking at the sky.

"It's beautiful. I remember when my parents and I would watch these," Kasumi started, her smile fading. "In fact, the last night I spent with my parents, there was a meteor shower. It is my cherished and final moment with them."

Sasori was curious now. "Your final night with them? Why?" he asked. Kasumi looked down, and Sasori could see the pain in her eyes.

"The next day, they were fighting in The Hidden Rain's Civil War alongside our God, and they were killed. I was 10, and I've been alone ever since." Kasumi explained, tears now flowing from her eyes. Sasori was shocked. There was really someone who had been there, in the same place he has? That same dark and lonely place? Sasori instinctively hugged her.

"I know how you feel," Sasori said. Kasumi's eyes widened, and she looked him in the eyes. "I originated from the Hidden Sand Village. My parents were killed when I was a child too. Although I had my grandmother, I was so lonely, and I eventually left my village, and I joined the Akatsuki, ending up here." Sasori looked down, he had never really opened up to anyone but Deidara before.

Kasumi could not believe that there was someone who understood her pain, her lonliness. She could not believe there was someone she could actually relate to. Much less, she could not believe this person had her heart.

"I've lived my life these years since then, longing for something, a purpose. In the time I've gotten to know you, you've shown me that someone like you is what I've been longing for. I want you to be mine, Kasumi." Sasori said, blushing. He had never done this type of thing before.

Kasumi was in shock and for a moment she was speechless. Kasumi thought for a moment. She did in fact like him back, but could she allow herself a relationship? The pain she had endured by losing her parents was almost unbearable. If she were to lose Sasori, her emotional scars would be opened all over again. Kasumi decided to trust Sasori, since he had proven her wrong time and time again about how he could be bad.

"Yes, Sasori. I'll be yours," Kasumi said, smiling big at him, her tears now gone. Sasori smiled the biggest smile he ever had. They found themselves locked in each other's eyes for several moments, before Sasori made the first move and kissed her. Kasumi kissed him back, wrapping his arms around his neck and moaning softly in his mouth. Sasori pulled her closer by her waist, and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss.

Just as it was about to go further, they found themselves in the middle of a pouring rain. It must have been 12:00 am already, since Pain makes it rain every Sunday, the entire day and night. Kasumi squealed in surprise, and they immediately jumped down, and Kasumi scrambled in her purse to find her key, unlocking the door as quickly as she could. Sasori and Kasumi got inside quickly, and she turned on some lights.

"Wow, I didn't even realize it was this late!" Sasori said, laughing even though they were both soaked.

"Neither did I! Time got away from us, it seems," Kasumi said, giggling as well.

"Well that rain is a bit deeper than usual. Do you mind if I stay the night, Kasumi?" Sasori asked, hoping she wouldn't. Even though they had just started going out, Sasori felt as though he was asking a bit much.

"No not at all, Sasori. My home is yours!" she said, winking at him. Sasori was relieved to hear that. He truly didn't want to run through the rain all the way back to the mansion. On top of that, he decided it would be awesome to spend a night when Kasumi alone. Having not seen her in 2 weeks, he would miss her if he went home, even though they had spent most of the evening together.

Kasumi yawned. "I'm really tired, Sasori. I'm about to go to bed soon," Kasumi said to him.

"Yeah, so am I. Where can I sleep?" Sasori asked.

"Well, normally guests sleep on the couch or make a pallet on the floor," Kasumi said, and Sasori raised a brow, getting a giggle out of the girl. "But you're my boyfriend, so you can sleep with me." Kasumi said, winking. Sasori was relieved to hear that. He had been there, done that, and hoped to never go back. Couches are one of the most uncomfortable places to sleep. 'Screw that', Sasori thought.

"Alrighty then, sounds like a plan!" Sasori said, winking back at her. Kasumi shook her head and smiled.

"Carry me! Please Sasori?" Kasumi asked, holding her arms out and looking at him with puppy dog eyes. Sasori rolled his eyes, causing Kasumi to giggle as her picked her up and carried her to the bed. He set her down, and laid down behind her. Kasumi turned, and Sasori wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer, with Kasumi returning his embrace. The new couple fell asleep in each other's arms to the sound of the pouring rain outside.

I worked hard on this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Read and Review please, I would appreciate hearing what everyone thinks of it so far. I got the inspiration for this chapter in my Anatomy class AGAIN. When class is over, I always have a lot of time to think, which always results in new ideas for the chapter. I'm hoping you all enjoy reading this story, because I put alot of pride in it! Since school has started, usually I'm working on this in between homework but I will try and update often! Till next time!


	3. Invasion

Rico: Wow, I actually went ahead and did this faster than I expected.

Kasumi: Well you might as well, since you're bound to forget these things if you don't write them down.

Rico: Girl you speak the truth!

Kasumi: *giggles* You created me to be that way!

Rico: Yeah no kidding.

Ayumi: Why has there been such little Deidara and me? Sasori and Kasumi get all the attention!

Kasumi: Don't hate.

Ayumi: Grrrr...

Rico: You'll have your time Ayumi, this one's for Kasumi though. Don't worry though.

Ayumi: Sure... alrighty then.

Rico: Disclaimer please girls.

Ayumi and Kasumi: Rico does not own Naruto, but he does own us. Not in that way though.

Rico: Obviously... that's what Sasori and Deidara are for. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Invasion

Over the next month, Sasori and Kasumi saw each other alot more often. During the week, Sasori might bring her lunch during her shift, and then afterwards walk her home and stay for a few hours. Occasionally, he would stay over a night. On the day or two he did not visit her, Kasumi would often wind up going to Akatsuki Manor to spend a bit of time with him. She even stayed for dinner once, during which she found herself playing 20 questions with Kisame, Hidan and Tobi who were all curious about how well she and Sasori got along. Kasumi always responded with, "he's really good to me," before quickly changing the subject.

The couple would often go out on Kasumi's off days, whether it be as simple as walking around the mall, or something big like going skating or to a restaurant. A few times, Deidara and Ayumi joined them for a double date. Even after one or the other went home, they always ended up calling for 30 minutes or so. Kasumi always found it adorable when Sasori would call her just to say good night. With each day passing, they both could not wait to see each other again.

"Wow, Saturday could not have gotten here fast enough!" Sasori said, walking with Kasumi down to the mall, her clinging to his arm.

"Yeah I know! Now you can stay a night, since I'm off tomorrow too," Kasumi sighed. "I've been missing having you next to me at night."

"Same here, it's so weird sleeping alone now. I sleep alot more soundly to your touch, to be honest." Sasori admitted.

Kasumi giggled. "Awww Sasori, that's cute." Sasori blushed slightly and smiled sheepishly. Kasumi smiled back and pecked him.

The two continued into the mall, where Sasori helped Kasumi shop. Sasori helped Kasumi pick out a few Hollister and Aeropostale shirts and pants he thought fit her, but he refused to go with her into Victoria's Secret. Although Kasumi insisted, Sasori simply resisted and decided to wait for her outside. It was just too awkward for him, even if he was with his girlfriend. Kasumi pouted a bit, but she went in by herself anyway. When she finally came out, Sasori noticed she had gotten exactly what he had expected, matching bras and panties. Sasori decided not to look too hard, so he would not ruin his upcoming surprise. He was bound to see her in them sooner or later.

Since Kasumi's desire for clothes was satisfied, she and Sasori then decided to just walk randomly around the mall. Sasori would often randomly tickle her, causing her to squeal and beg him to stop. It never got old for Sasori, he enjoyed hearing her laugh. They really enjoyed spotting people in odd or unusual outfits throughout the mall, because there is that one clown that stands out. There was one guy who was wearing an African Buba outfit, and the two could not help but laugh. Of course, people are themselves, but what the hell was this guy thinking? More than likely, it was a publicity stunt.

The couple found themselves at the food court soon enough, and they were both in the mood for some ice cream. Sasori and Kasumi both had a special love for frozen desserts. Kasumi settled at a table, and Sasori set her shopping bags underneath the table.

"What kind of ice cream do you want, babe?" Sasori asked.

"Um... get me a double scoop of cookies and cream in a cup please baby," Kasumi replied. Sasori nodded, and walked away to get in line at the Baskin-Robbins vendor.

Kasumi waited patiently for Sasori, looking through her texts while she waited. She only had a few from her friends wanting to see what she was up to, and one from her boss. Kasumi responded to them, and made sure her bags were still under the table. She had made quite a haul today at the mall, and she was sure after this little ice cream break, she and Sasori would head back to her apartment. She was really tired anyway, and she was sure Sasori didn't want to be shopping much longer. Even though he was enjoying it, Kasumi knew it wouldn't be long before his patience wore thin.

They had discussed going to catch the newest Transformers before it left theaters, but either way, they had to return to her apartment to at least put away her clothes. The movie workers would swear they were trying to steal concessions or something else ridiculous if they were to walk in with so many bags, even if they were at the mall. On top of that, where would they put them all? Kasumi decided they would just go another day, and began messing with the apps on her Droid.

"Hey, what are you doing here all alone?" Kasumi heard a familiar voice standing over her. Kasumi looked up to see a face she'd rather not ever see again. It was her ex, Akio. Kasumi had dated him a few months before, but she broke up with him after he cheated on her with 2 other women. Kasumi was heart-broken when she found out he had been lying to her, and for most of their relationship at that.

"Hey... I'm not alone, I'm here with my boyfriend," Kasumi said, a bit of coldness in her voice.

"Oh really?" Akio asked curiously.

"That's right, and he's more of a man than you will ever be." Kasumi spat.

"Oh whatever... You're still not over that are you?" Kasumi glared at him and stood up angrily.

"I will never forgive you for what you did to me..." Kasumi turned away from him.

"Oh come on Kasumi, I'm different! I'm sorry okay? I realize I was wrong and I want you back!" Akio tried.

"Hell no! You had your chance and you blew it! Sasori has my heart now, I will NEVER take you back! Now go away! " Kasumi said, almost yelling. They were starting to gain attention in the mall. Kasumi turned to go find Sasori, but Akio grabbed her arm.

"I'm not taking no for an answer Kasumi, just give me a chance!" he insisted. Kasumi jerked away, and backed away from him. Akio tried to reach for her again, but a hand stopped him. He looked up into the cold, angry brown eyes of Sasori.

"I believe she said... leave her alone," Sasori said, in a low, venomous voice.

Akio glared back at Sasori, who released his hand. Sasori slinked an arm around Kasumi's waist and pulled her close to him. Akio looked at them in disgust.

"Fine whatever..." he said, turning on his heel and pretended to walk away. He suddenly turned on lunged at Sasori thinking he was off-guard. Sasori simply released Kasumi, and round-house kicked Akio with perfect timing. Akio clutched his head in agony and rolled on the floor.

"I suggest you leave my presence, before I get pissed the fuck off!" Sasori said, glaring down on him angrily.

Akio got up clutching his head painfully, and began backing away, pointing at Sasori before turning and walking away. By now, a small crowd had formed around them, due to the commotion. Sasori led Kasumi through the crowd, and out of the mall, his arm again around her waist.

"Kasumi... exactly who was that?" Sasori asked, still silently angry.

"My ex... It's a long story," Kasumi replied. Sasori nodded.

"I see, you can tell me later." Sasori said. Kasumi did not reply, and they walked in silence for awhile.

Suddenly, Sasori stopped. Kasumi looked at him curiously, and noticed he was looking into the sky. Kasumi looked up as well, noticing that it was getting dark at an unusually fast pace. Not to mention, it was only 4:00 in the afternoon. It appeared the moon was moving in front of the sun, but it was way too fast to be a normal solar eclipse.

"Kasumi... prepare yourself. We're about to be invaded," Sasori warned. Sasori drew a scroll from his sleeve, and released one of his puppets. Normally he would use the 3rd Kazekage, but it was still not fully repaired. Kasumi nodded, who dropped her and began scanning the area for any signs of intruders. As the sky darkened, Sasori and Kasumi had to focus harder. Their eyes were trained to see in the dark, but it was still difficult. Suddenly, there were several huge explosions in several different vicinities of the village and alot of screaming. Sasori wondered where Deidara and the others were, and if they were caught in any of those explosions. Sasori knew Deidara could not have pulled something off that fast, especially since the invasion was just beginning, and he seethed in anger thinking about the innocent people who had just lost their lives. Soon, they found themselves surrounded in the "night" by what seemed like 4 figures.

"So... the Village Hidden Beneath The Stars has finally decided to try and advance on us huh?" Sasori said, speaking to the figures, getting an evil and cocky laugh from all of them.

"Heh heh, the time has come, for the Rain Village to fall!" they heard of them say.

"We'll see about that," Kasumi said. The laughs continued.

"Well let's get to it shall we?", another one of the ninja said.

The ninja began circling Sasori and Kasumi rather quickly, trying to get them to lose sight of them. The plan worked, because as hard as it was to even see them standing still in the dark, it was impossible to see them moving at a great speed. Sasori and Kasumi soon found themselves taking on 2 at once. They spread out to a safe distance from each other, to fight their own battles.

Sasori held his puppet in place behind him, to try and prevent an attack from behind, and keep the attack where he could semi-see it. Sasori managed to make out one of his attackers lunging towards him and he quickly countered, meeting his foe's sword with one of his puppet's scythes. The other attacker tried to get to Sasori while his puppet was distracted, but as soon as he got close, Sasori threw down an exploding paper tag to the west, lighting up the night briefly, and he found himself looking directly into Sasori's eyes, which cast a genjutsu on him. The ninja fell to his knees, with a blank stare at the ground. 'One down one to go,' Sasori thought.

Kasumi was dealing with similar opponents. She held off both of their swords with 2 kunai in her left and right hands respectively. The two tried again, and Kasumi countered again, and then scissor kicked one of them, and at the same time punched the other, making both of them fly back a few feet. The two quickly got back to their feet however, and lunged at her again. 'I'm gonna use a little chakra and see where that gets me," Kasumi thought to herself, while doing a few hand-signs.** "Wind Style: Razor Wind Blades." **Kasumi's body began exerting powerful spinning wind blades in all directions, and she smirked hearing one of the ninja scream in agony. 'Now for one more," Kasumi thought.

Sasori found himself in a sword/scythe with his last opponent. The metal clashing could be heard for miles more than likely. Sasori's movements were lightning fast, and his opponent could barely keep up with his puppet's attacks. Sasori managed to gain the upper hand, but he managed to get a cut on the ninja's leg. The ninja fell to the ground, clutching his leg in pain, giving Sasori the chance to slice him in half with his scythe. Sasori smirked at his results, he then turned to try and find Kasumi in the darkness, so he could help her and get this over with.

Kasumi was keeping her opponent busy with a fistfight, and he was surprised that she was holding her own against him in taijutsu, and he was so distracted he had no chance to even see Sasori's puppet headed straight for him. Sasori only cut him on his right tricep and across his back, but that was all he needed to do. The ninja abruptly stopped, and Kasumi finally managed to get a punch on him, and he flew back several feet, landing on the ground. He attempted to get back up, but the pain on his insides would not allow him to. The ninja felt as though his insides were melting inside of him, and the pain was so great he could not even scream.

"Hmm, seems my new poison is quite effective," Sasori said, smirking in the darkness. "My new poison is a hemotoxin, and it not only causes paralysis, but it destroys the organs and tissues in the body, resulting in a much fast death than my other." Kasumi was surprised at how lethal Sasori could be. Even though he had told her about his new poison, she was still surprised at the results. The ninja soon stopped struggling, and it was apparent he was dead.

The 2 found themselves surrounded again by what seemed like 8 more figures.

"The more, the merrier..." Sasori said, sarcastically.

"More like the more, the shittier," Kasumi said.

"Or that," Sasori replied. Just as they were about to be attacked, Sasori and Kasumi's attention soon shifted to the sky, because a bright beam pierced the darkness and headed straight for the artificial moon blocking out the sun. The moon shattered, and the village was showered in sunlight again. 'God is amazing,' Kasumi thought. Sasori and Kasumi made quick work of their enemies.

"Sasori!" Sasori heard Pain's voice by way of jutsu.

"Yes, Leader-sama?" Sasori responded.

"Your main objective is to get all civilians to the safety of beneath the village! Afterwards, assist anyone you find engaging the Star Ninja! We are trying to hold off until re-enforcements arrive! If you have anyone with you, split the task among yourselves! Hurry! There is no time to waste!" Pain's voice declared.

"Yes, Leader-sama!" Sasori obeyed.

"I will help, Sasori!", Kasumi said. Sasori nodded.

"Kasumi, you go get civilians to safety! I will go find any groups that need help fighting the Star ninja! Let's meet back here in an hour!" Sasori said, to which Kasumi nodded. The 2 of them split up with Kasumi mostly guiding civilians to safety, only fighting when she had to protect them, and Sasori engaging and killing every Star ninja he ran into. Due to Pain destroying the moon, the Rain ninja quickly regained the upper hand and began pushing the Star village's forces out of the village. Once the civilians were all evacuated in part thanks to Kasumi, she regrouped with Sasori, who had found Deidara, Tobi, and Itachi, at the spot they agreed on.

Deidara, Sasori and Itachi were all engaged in battle with several Star ninja at once, and Tobi was dragging the wounded to safety. Since the others were handling all the Star ninja, Kasumi made herself useful by healing the wounded with her medical nin-jutsu. Sasori and the others managed to kill their opponents, and more and more of them began retreating, while a few remained still willing to fight. Their will was soon crushed when the Leaf Ninja arrived on the scene. Upon seeing Naruto Uzumaki, who had gotten to the level that he was to be surrendered to/ fled from upon sight, the rest of the Star Ninja retreated. The Rain Village had survived the invasion. Even so, it had ended as quickly as it began.

"Awww man! Every single time I join a fight they always run! How's a guy supposed to get a good fight these days?" Naruto complained.

"Isn't that Naruto Uzumaki? The current Hokage of The Hidden Leaf?" Kasumi whispered to Sasori. Sasori nodded. Since Tsunade had retired, Naruto had finally realized his dream of becoming Hokage of the Hidden Leaf.

"Jeez Naruto, most people are enjoying the peaceful times, you're just itching for more war aren't you?" Sai asked, in his usual low and bland tone.

"Can't help it! I miss the thrill of fighting...", Naruto whined.

"Naruto, you never cease to amaze us," Neji said, smirking but shaking his head.

"Ahhhh, shut up...", Naruto said, crossing his arms.

Deidara and Itachi chuckled. "It's good to see you again, Naruto," Itachi said, speaking up first. Naruto turned around, and perked up upon spotting the Uchiha, and the others.

"Itachi! Deidara! Sasori too!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, running up to them. Sai and Neji followed him.

"It's been quite some time since we last saw you Naruto, hmmm?" Deidara spoke.

"Yeah, I know! We haven't been to the Rain Village in a few months. How has everything been," Neji said, smiling at them.

"Well...", Sasori started, looking around the village. " I have to say, we've been better." They all laughed despite the situation. Naruto then turned his attention to Kasumi.

"Who's this?" he asked, still looking at Kasumi.

"This is Kasumi, she's my girlfriend," Sasori answered, smiling.

Naruto, Sai, and Neji were all shocked. Sasori was one of the last guys they would have expected to find a girlfriend. Well... then again, his chances were better than that of Zetzu, Kisame, and Kakuzu. Speaking of Zetzu, where the hell had he been lately? Oh look, I'm breaking the fourth wall.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto!" Naruto said, grinning ear to ear, and extending his hand. Kasumi shook it heartily.

"Well, anyway, we need to go see Pain, right?" Sai asked. Sasori, Itachi, and Deidara nodded. All of them headed towards Pain's Tower, centered in the heart of the Rain Village. The Tower had taken some damage, mostly towards the top, and they could tell there had been a great struggle there. At the top, Pain was looking over the Rain Village.

"My village is damaged. My people are crying. My waters are tainted. All thanks to the invading Star Village." Pain was saying to himself. "Something must be done about this."

"Pain," Naruto said, getting his attention. Pain was happy to see Naruto, and both of them went to discuss the matters at hand, leaving the others waiting to figure out what needed to be done. Pain and Naruto soon returned after quickly coming to a decision.

"Kasumi, you assisted in protecting our village in battle and in medical ninjutsu, correct?" Pain asked. Kasumi nodded.

"A Medical Nin is what the Akatsuki has been in dire need of. For the task at hand, we will more than likely need a Medical Nin. Would you like to join the Akatsuki?" Pain offered. Kasumi thought for a moment. If she joined the Akatsuki, she would get to live with Sasori all the time, and have no need to work at the hospital anymore. Plus she would get to wear a cool robe on missions. Worked for her.

"Yes, I will join," Kasumi said, getting a smile from Sasori, and a peck on her cheek.

"Good. Because we are in dire need for someone of your abilities," Pain started. Kasumi quietly listened, knowing he was about to explain why. "The Hidden Leaf re-enforcements will stay here in the Rain Village for now to help rebuild. I am sending you, Sasori, Itachi, and Deidara on a mission to assassinate the Leader of The Village Hidden Beneath The Stars, Takayuki. That will be the swiftest way to end this conflict before we are attacked again."

Kasumi hesitated, knowing the danger that could come to herself and something else. Something that she didn't want Sasori to know just yet. Going on a mission was risky but she decided to anyway, planning to avoid battle if she could. Kasumi nodded in understanding. Sasori, Itachi and Deidara already knew what was to happen.

"Great, you will depart on this mission in 3 days. Prepare yourselves, because the Star Ninja will be more than willing to defend their home. Try to draw as little attention as possible." Pain instructed.

"Yes, Leader-Sama," they all replied. Pain dismissed them. Deidara and Itachi headed back to Akatsuki Manor, while Sasori went with Kasumi to her apartment to gather some of her things. For now, Kasumi took a suitcase of some of her favorite clothes, the essentials, as well as her picture of her parents, because after the mission she would be back to get everything else. For now though, this was all she really needed. Sasori and Kasumi, despite the hellish day they had, were excited to be actually living together now.

Once they got to the mansion, Kasumi set up her picture, and put some of her clothes away, before getting in bed next to Sasori, who had already quickly fallen asleep due to being so tired. As tired as she was, Kasumi's mind was full. The risk of losing it was great if she went on this mission. If she did lose it, Sasori would probably never forgive her. Kasumi was also still scared that Sasori might leave her once he found out. For now, Kasumi decided to sleep her worries away and she soon found herself drifting off as well.

2 updates, in 2 days. I like it. I didn't work as much on the humor part in this chapter, but I added a bit in here and there. I really need to find a way to end my chapters aside from sleep. Lol but anyway, hope you enjoyed! What is Kasumi hiding from Sasori? Will he ever know? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!

Next time: Chapter 4: Shocking Revelations

Read and Review please!


	4. Bleeding Fists

Itachi: Ah, I finally get some story time.

Deidara: I've been absent most of the past 2 chapters, yeah? Time for my return!

Hidan: Fuck both of you! I should be the star of this story!

Itachi: Instead, you occasionally appear bothering Sasori and/or Kasumi.

Deidara: One day, you're gonna cross the line.

Hidan: Well that's what I do, I'm a habitual line-stepper bitches! I say and do whatever the fuck comes to my mind.

Sasori: And I'm a habitual killer. Don't try me.

Hidan: Pft.

Itachi and Deidara: Oooooooohhhhhhh... Owned.

Hidan: -_-

Rico: Someone do the disclaimer. Someone who hasn't before.

Itachi: Rico does not own Naruto, only Kasumi and Ayumi.

Rico: Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Bleeding Fists

Sasori spent the next few days preparing for the mission. For one day, he trained in the field, working on his speed, and shortening the delay of moving his fingers for his puppet to react. Sasori managed to find a way to get the puppet to react faster, to the point that the puppet would react as he was moving his fingers. Kasumi and Deidara even helped him test the effectiveness of his new ability in battle, and Sasori was proud of how well it worked. When Sasori was not training, he would be in the mansion with Kasumi and they would be relaxing, trying to enjoy their time before the mission. You never know what mission might be your last after all.

The morning of the mission, Sasori, Deidara, Kasumi, and Itachi met at the river on the outskirts of the village.

" Well, Leader has put me in charge, since I know most of the information on our enemies. The Star Village is east of here. It is closer than even the Hidden Leaf, so we should get there by nightfall," Sasori explained. The others nodded in understanding, and with that they set off. They travelled by way of the trees, stopping every hour or so for short breaks to catch their breath. As they got closer to the village, they could feel the air getting heavier and dense. Despite the fact it was a rather cloudy night, they could still see stars clearly in the sky.

"We must be getting close," Itachi determined. The others nodded. They came to a cliff which overlooked the entire Hidden Star Village. It was a relatively large village, and despite the time the streets were bustling.

"The village is alot more busy than we expected, hm? This is gonna be rough if we're caught," Deidara said, crossing his arms.

"If the people try to interfere, I will already have my barrier set up," Kasumi said.

"Well still, we have to escape is what I am trying to say," Deidara explained. Kasumi hadn't considered that.

"Deidara, that's where you come in," Sasori started. Deidara looked at him curiously. "We need you to plant 2, no 3 of your C3 level bombs around the village. In the event that the assassination does not go as smoothly as it should, we have to be able to kill them all quickly. We also need you to take out the guards posted around the village. Once you do that, we will infiltrate and assassinate Takayuki in his sleep. That's the plan anyway, these things always seem to go wrong."

"Wow, I never thought of that, hm." Deidara replied.

"What else is new?" Kasumi said, teasing. Deidara rolled his eyes, and she giggled. Itachi and Sasori only smirked.

"We still need to get a way to infiltrate the village, and get to Takayuki's Tower," Sasori said.

"We can use my crows for that. Who seriously notices crows?" Itachi said.

"Idiots who have no life," Kasumi said, smiling. Itachi smirked and shook his head.

"Well, let's get down to it. Deidara, you know your role, get to it. Let us know through your radio when you have done this and we will begin our infiltration. Afterwards, you need to stay back and be ready to detonate your bombs in the event something goes wrong, which they always do..." Sasori said, with a sigh towards the end.

"Stop thinking so negative Sasori, we'll be fine," Kasumi assured, rubbing his back, and getting close to him. Sasori smiled down at her, and pecked her.

"Alright love birds, let's get this underway," Itachi said, interrupting their love scene. Sasori and Kasumi nodded, and they all began heading down towards the village. Deidara went off to plant his exploding clay beneath the ground, and the others hid themselves in the trees, while they waited for Deidara to finish his task.

Deidara made his way around the village, planting his Ohaku bombs underground. One was more than capable than destroying a great portion of the village, three would blow the village straight to hell! Oh well, whatever gets this mission completed. After he had completed that, Deidara made a large hawk and climbed onto it. He flew high above the village, and put his scope on his left eye to find all the village guards. They were all stationed in 4 adjacent towers, which overlooked the village. Deidara dropped a few clay spiders which fell at the base of each tower. The spiders climbed the towers, and latched onto the guards faces. Deidara quickly activated his exploding clay spiders, before the guards could panic and cause a scene. 'That never gets old," Deidara though, smirking.

"Phase One of Village Infiltration, complete, yeah. Get to it marines, hm," Deidara said, into his radio.

"Copy Major Doofus,yeah?" Kasumi replied.

"We're now moving in Major Doofus, hm?" Deidara heard Sasori's voice respond.

"Phase Two of Village Infiltraion, now underway, yeah." Itachi said.

"Screw all of you, hm." Deidara responded, irritably, causing Kasumi to laugh, and the others to chuckle. "I'm going to my post now, yeah? Stay on your toes!"

"Roger that." Sasori responded. With that, they all put away their radios. Itachi made a handsign, and they all transformed into crows. They flew over The Hidden Star Village, attempting to spot Takayuki's mansion. Itachi spotted it first, a large, almost haunted looking castle at the northern end of the village. The 3 of them flew into an open window, and Itachi dispelled the jutsu.

"Let's split up, and try to find Takayuki's room. We will meet back here in 15 minutes, so keep your radio to a level you can hear. Only kill someone if you are spotted, understood?" Sasori instructed. Kasumi and Itachi nodded, and they all drew a kunai and headed off in 3 different directions. Sasori found himself creeping through the darkness, checking every room only to find them occupied by someone else, or empty. Kasumi quickly found herself lost in the mansion, and could not determine which rooms she had checked and which she hadn't. Itachi found himself in one of the main halls, one of the few rooms that still had lights on.

Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Itachi quickly hid himself behind one of the nearby pillars. There were two guards, who seemed to just be doing their rounds. He was quickly joined by a more frantic guard, who came running.

" Eri! Where is Lord Tayayuki? He is not in his room!" the frantic guard shouted. Eri and his partner remained calm.

"He headed to the field to train, Genji. Calm down, he's fine," Eri replied.

"Oh, why didn't I know that?" Genji asked, scratching his head.

"Because you never pay attention when he speaks," the other guard said.

"Got a point there Hideaki," Eri said, smiling sheepishly.

Itachi reached into his cloak's pocket, and took out his radio. "Sasori, Kasumi. Meet me in the main hallway, we're gonna take these guys as disguises." Itachi whispered into his radio.

"Hai," Itachi heard Sasori respond. "Understood," Kasumi responded right after.

Itachi waited for them to show, while the guards were occupied in conversation. Sasori appeared in one of the doorways, and he creeped along the wall, avoiding being noticed by the guards. He spotted Itachi, and then waited for Kasumi to show so they could strike. Kasumi appeared in the doorway opposite the one Sasori had entered, crouching as she walked. As she spotted Itachi and Sasori, she nodded at both of them signaling she was ready. The 3 each approached the guards from different angles, and on Sasori's signal, they struck. The three assassins plunged their kunai into the backs of the guards, covering their mouths so their death gurgles would not carry, and then gently let their bodies fall to the ground.

"Worst guards ever, what idiots stop their duties to talk? I mean seriously," Sasori said, shaking his head.

"Hey, don't complain. Let there be more idiots, easier work for us," Kasumi reasoned.

"Yeah, whatever makes this mission easier. I've already heard Takayumi is not to be taken lightly," Itachi said, crossing his arms.

"Good point. Well, did either of you find anything?" Sasori asked, getting serious again. Kasumi shook her head.

"I did. According to the morons we just killed, Takayuki is in the training field." Itachi explained.

"Really? At this hour? That guy is dedicated, isn't he? I'd hate to see him meet Rock Lee and Might Guy, ugh," Sasori said, shivering at the thought. Three fools dedicated to training and challenges couldn't be good all being in one place.

"That wouldn't end well, for us anyway," Itachi said, shaking his head. Kasumi was confused.

"What ARE you guys talking about?" she said, her hands on her hips.

"Tell you some other time, love. For now, let's get to the field and get this mission over with. I don't know about you guys, but I wanna go HOME! First, let's take these guys' bodies." Sasori exclaimed. Kasumi and Itachi nodded. They were both ready to leave the weird atmosphere of the Star Village too.

The three assassins took the guise of their victims, and left the Takayuki's castle without question or really regard. They headed towards the field, which was slightly outside of the village. As Itachi heard, Takayuki was there, and he was practicing a powerful lightning jutsu.

"Lord Takayuki," Eri (Sasori) said, kneeling. Takayuki stopped and his tracks and half turned. Takayuki was rather tall, had stern, dark brown eyes, had brown hair, and seemed to be in his forties.

"What do all of you want, I'm in the middle of something!" Takayuki demanded, visably annoyed.

" Forgive us, Lord Takayuki. There is a matter of utmost importance that needs to be taken care of, my lord," Genji (Kasumi) said.

Takayuki did not respond, he only turned to fully face his "guards". Wordlessly, he did a few hand signs to the surprise of his three "guards." **Lightning Style: False Darkness! **Takayuki unleashed a large black lightning bolt from his entire body, which split into 3 seperate spears. The three guards quickly dodged, and the bolts split the ground. Knowing their cover was blowned, Sasori, Kasumi and Itachi abandoned their disguises. Takayuki quickly took notice of their robes.

"You're Akatsuki, are you not? That means you're here for one reason," Takayuki declared. Sasori, Kasumi and Itachi remained silent. Takayuki quickly did a few hand signs, sending a distress message to the Star Ninja.

"GODDAMMIT! What did I say? Something always goes wrong! It NEVER FAILS!" Sasori yelled, angrily.

"Kasumi, quickly! Activate a barrier!" Itachi shouted.

Kasumi obediently did a few quick handsigns in compliance. **Secret Art: Metallic Frozen Prison! **Silver metallic ice almost like steel began forming a cubed wall covering the entire field, and high over the heads of them all. The large barrier could be seen for miles away. Just as Takayuki's forces began arriving at the field, Kasumi's barrier had fully formed.

"Lord Takayuki is in there! We must free him before he is killed!" the head of the villages forces shouted.

The Star Ninja in vain tried their most powerful fire techniques on Kasumi's barrier. Kasumi smirked. "You would have to bring a fire more intense than the sun to destroy this barrier!" she taunted from inside, causing the ninja to get angry. However, all they could do was watch from the outside, and hope for the best.

Takayuki grew angry. 'Odds are now againest me, I more than likely won't make it out of this alive.' He thought.

"We need to get this over with. Sasori, let's go." Itachi said, slowly blinking and activating his Sharingan. Sasori nodded, and summoned one of his human puppets.

"Let's get this party started then!" Takayuki said, getting into a battle stance. Itachi and Sasori stared for a moment.

"Oh wow... Let's get this party started? Really?", Itachi said, facepalming.

"Hideous..." Sasori said, shaking his head.

"You should kill yourself, we shouldn't even have to do anything for that horrible phrase," Kasumi said, mentally herself, since she had to hold still into keep the barrier up.

Takayuki frowned. "All of you go to hell!" he said, flicking them off.

"You know what, I'm tired of waiting," Sasori sighed. Sasori then made the first move, sending his puppet flying towards Takayuki. Takayuki quickly countered by dodging the puppet, even though he could barely keep up with the puppet's unorthadox offense. Sasori's movements were now unpredictable since it was impossible to determine when and where he would move his puppets, since now his puppet was more in conjuction with his mind. Itachi also joined in on the attack, and proved to be more than Takayuki could handle at once. Although he had managed to dodge all of Sasori's attacks, Itachi managed to level him with a powerful kick to the chin. Takayuki landed several yards away, but he quickly got back to his feet.

"This is going to be even more trouble than I expected," Takayuki said to himself.

"Well duh, do you not know who we are?" Sasori said, taunting. Takayuki frowned.

Wordlessly, he bit his thumb before doing a lot of hand signs. **Summoning Jutsu! **Takayuki drove his hand onto the earth, and he elevated high into the air, although still under the barrier, with a lot of smoke beneath him. Sasori and Itachi had to shield their faces from the wind the creature's roar caused, and Kasumi almost fell over. The smoke cleared to reveal a large silver colored gorilla, armed with golden dual swords.

"Oh, this is great..." Sasori said, facepalming.

"I don't remember King Kong being mentioned as an enemy in the mission description..." Itachi said, frowning.

"Now that I have Mana to fight with me, let's start this forreal," Takayuki said, smirking. Sasori quickly summoned 9 more puppets, but Itachi decided to hold out on his trump card for awhile. Itachi instead did a few quick handsigns and breathed in deeply. **Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu! **Itachi exhaled a continuous stream of fire in the image of a dragon towards the face of the gorilla, which connected effectively. The gorilla roared in agony, before quickly shielding the fire stream with one of its enormous swords, and then raising the other to attack Sasori and Itachi.

Sasori and Itachi quickly evaded the sluggish swing of the giant ape, which effectively shook the earth, almost knocking Kasumi over. She however managed to keep herself balanced, knowing that if she were to let the barrier down, she and the others would be immediately killed. Sasori quickly swarmed the ape with his puppets, managed to deal several minor cuts to the ape. Sasori's poison, however, seemed to have no effect. Itachi continued to spew streams of fire at the beast, although over time they weakened and became much less effective.

"That beast should down by now... Even though I expect as much from a summoning," Sasori said, panting.

"No matter what we throw at it, it doesn't fall," Itachi said, panting as well. Kasumi was growing worried at the look of the situation. As much as she wished to help, she knew that she was of much more assistance keeping the barrier up, and if she interfered, there was still that great risk of losing her secret. Kasumi sighed, and continued to watch the fight.

"You'll never be able to take Mana down by human means, it is impossible!" Takayuki taunted, laughing to himself.

"Hmph, looks like I'll need to use some chakra," Sasori said. Sasori's puppets settled in front of him, and they all replicated the handsigns Sasori was doing. Takayuki's eyes widened. 'This can't be good,' he thought.

**Forbidden Jutsu: Pathway To Hell! **The earth beneath Takayuki and Mana began crumbling. Mana managed to grab onto a ledge, and could feel a great heat from beneath him. Takayuki looked down, holding on to Mana for dear life, and saw a pit of lava beneath him and what seemed like suffering souls. Takayuki's eyes widened.

"Mana, get us out of here, NOW!" Takayuki yelled, desperately. Mana began climbing back out of the ledge, but Sasori had other plans.

"You won't escape..." Sasori said to himself, moving his hands together, and the puppets replicated this action. The gap between the 2 ledges began slowly closing, with Mana roaring in anger and frantically trying to climb out. Just as he got to the top, the gap had fully closed. On the surface, Sasori and Itachi were catching their breath. The Star Ninja outside of the barrier were boiling in rage and some were overcome with sorrow and broke down crying at the death of their leader.

"Now that this is over, we need to get out of here," Itachi said, looking at the ninja ready to destroy them on the other side of the barrier.

"Easier said than done, but I think we can outrun them," Sasori said, chuckling a bit while looking at them as well. Sasori withdrew his puppets, knowing that keeping them out would make running harder.

"Well done guys! Now we just have to survive the onslaugth of ninja ready to rip out our guts!" Kasumi said, teasing. Sasori and Itachi shook their heads.

"It's amusing how lightly you take these things," Sasori said. Kasumi smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.

Just as she was about to let down the barrier so they could run, there was a pounding from beneath the Earth, and a loud albeit muffled roar, one that the three assassins recognized as Mana's. Sasori and Itachi looked to the ground where Mana and Takayuki had been buried with wide eyes.

"I-Impossible! How can anyone survive a LITERAL ride to hell? Oh fuck me!" Sasori said in absolute disbelief and frustration.

"This... this can't be!" Itachi said, slightly backing up.

"Yup... we're screwed. This is great..." Kasumi said sarcastically, also frustrated at the situation.

The beatings and roars from beneath the Earth continued, and the Star Ninja cheered in realization their Leader was still alive. Things were beginning to look up again for Takayuki. Suddenly, one of Mana's arms shot up from the ground, followed by the other arm and Mana's head, which looked at Itachi, Sasori and Kasumi with intense, glowing red eyes. Mana's entire body soon emerged, with Takayuki on its back. Both of them were severely burned on various parts of their bodies, and Takayuki was panting heavily.

"Still here...fools..." Takayuki taunted, even though he was in no shape to be taunting anyway. Mana roared with a new intensity, and raised one of his swords above his head. He then began charging the sword with lightning.

"Zis... is ZA POWERRRRRRRR!" Takayuki shouted.

"What is this, He-Man?" Sasori said, looking with an unamused look. Kasumi giggled, but Itachi remained serious.

"No, this is him losing his mind..." Kasumi said, getting a nod from Sasori and Itachi.

"I really HATE doing this...But at this point I have no choice," Itachi sighed. He slowly blinked and blood began leaking from his left eye. **Amaterasu! **Itachi's left eye snapped open, and it was incredibly strained and blood-shot. A black flame formed on Mana's arm, causing the ape to roar in agony, and subsequently drop his giant sword. The flame slowly spread over the ape, causing Takayuki to have to jump off, and only be able to watch as the ape burned. Mana rampaged in an attempt to rid himself of the fire plaguing him, swinging his swords wildly. Itachi closed his left eye, which was still bleeding, as the black flames of Amaterasu continued to burn.

With the Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye, Itachi summoned his Susanoo, which quickly formed around him. Sasori joined him inside so he would not become a target.

"Vanish," Itachi said, as Susanoo pierced Mana with the Sword of Totsuka. Takayuki could only watch in horror as his trump card was sucked into Susanoo's sake jar. Takayuki punched the ground in fury, trying to think of options. Takayuki punched the ground until his fists bled. Itachi and Sasori only stayed silent, before Itachi began approaching him with Susanoo. Takayuki gritted his teeth and looked up at them with hatred and anger in his eyes. Takayuki hopped to his feet, made the tiger hand sign and began charging chakra, yelling loudly. The earth beneath him began to crumble and rise, the clouds began moving much faster, and lightning began striking at a slightly fast pace. A yellow barrier of energy began forming around Takayuki.

"This guy... must think he's Goku," Sasori said, looking at Takayuki slightly amused.

"Sasori, seriously, this is no time for jokes," Itachi said, correcting his partner.

"Yeah, no kidding," Sasori said, shrugging.

Takayuki looked at them and smiled menacingly. "Time for us to say goodbye!" he shouted. **Forbidden Jutsu: Star-powered Meteor! **

Itachi readied Susanoo, bracing for Takayuki's attack. Takayuki smiled even wider, and pointed up. Itachi and Sasori looked up to see a humongous meteor coming down slowly straight towards them. Sasori, Itachi and Kasumi looked up at the large rock with fear in their eyes. The Star Ninja watching the battle from the outside began evacuating the area.

'That attack has more than enough power to bore straight through my barrier, and even Itachi's Susanoo!' Kasumi thought, sweatdropping.

'We're in trouble...' Itachi thought.

'What can we do?' Sasori thought, unable to find any options in his mind.

"Be gone, with the passing of the star!" Takayuki shouted, almost psychotically. Just then, the meteor made contact with Kasumi's ice barrier, and the ice began cracking and went crashing down. The meteor made contact with the ground, and caused a massive explosion which could be seen for miles. From afar, Deidara observed the explosion.

"That can't be good, hm." He said to himself, observing the mushroom-shaped explosion cloud.

Well that's it for this chapter. I'm not really good with battles, but I think I did ok for this one. Did Sasori, Itachi and Kasumi survive? What will Deidara do if they were killed? Why am I asking you? Lol, read and review please. J

Next Time! Chapter 5: Shocking Revelations!


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